The Girl in My Life
by CeIebrity Martyr
Summary: I, the Watcher (please just call me Xavier), have altered the lives of Arnold Shortman and Helga Pataki. All it took was a few feet. Watch the changes in their lives as they grow together as friends (and a bit more).


Hello.

It's a simple introduction, isn't it?

I'm The Watcher, but you can call me Xavier. Though they call me "The Watcher", I do way more than watch. I can watch all alterate dimensions, make a physical embodiment of myself and alter dimensions, or simply just alter them as I please without having to personify myself.

So, you're wondering what the hell this has to do with Hey Arnold!, right?

Well, considering alternate universes are neverending, I have jurisdiction over universes where these cartoons are reality- animated and all.

Thus, in a state of boredom (and in a state of wondering, "what if"), I've decided to make a small detour in the lives of Arnold Shortman and Helga Pataki.

Gimme a second, we're going back a few years.

\--

It's a rainy day in Hillwood, Washington.

Helga Pataki, roughly 4 or 5 years removed from her mother's womb, is walking alone to her first day of preschool.

She has no umbrella. She _did_ have a lunch, but a dog had taken it from her. Her dress is wet and stained with mud.

This sucks.

Until, of course, she gets to her preschool. Then the rain abruptly stops. There's no roof above her head- just an umbrella.

The umbrella is being held by Arnold Shortman. Though, for a running gag's sake, Helga won't find that out until later.

She turns around, a bit startled by the revelation that someone was o

there for her.

"Hi," Arnold says to her, his hand firmly grasped on the umbrella above her, "I like your bow."

"Huh?" Helga asks, confused by any sort of empathy.

"I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants." Arnold responds, walking into the preschool and putting his raincoat on a coatrack.

Just about instantly, Helga was smitten.

But you knew that already, didn't you?

\--

It is lunchtime, and yes, Helga is still smitten.

The menu for lunch is simple enough. Two graham crackers and a cup of milk.

But Helga really isn't paying attention to that. She's looking right at Arnold, who is creating his later-to-be patented secret handshake with his new best friend, Gerald Johannsen.

As Helga is looking, she put her hand down to her plate, but it's gone.

They are now property of Harold Berman, resident fatboy. He laughs and downs the crackers in one bite.

Helga is now on the verge of tears. She has no other lunch, what is she to-

"Want mine?"

A voice asks. A familiar voice.

Yeah, it's Arnold. You've seen the episode.

She nods yes and takes the crackers. She swoons towards the boy. However, this is a mistake. Or a blessing, the way this timeline goes.

Harold notices this. So do the other preschoolers in her class.

Lead by Harold, they all mock her swooning, laughing as they do so. Arnold catches this and looks at Helga.

This is where I step in.

Now, as you know, this is where Helga turns to the rough-exterior-soft-interior moniker that ends up causing her more strife in her already stressful life. She punches Harold in the stomach and then touts that Ol' Betsy and the Five Avengers will do any talking for her from here on out.

But... I like this better:

Helga looks at Arnold, and then back at her tormentors. She weighs her options. She could be violent, that much is already known. She looks at Arnold again. She makes up her mind.

She grabs her plate and glass, and walks to the seat in front of Arnold and Gerald. The class dies down at this, without an answer, and goes back to minding their own business.

"Can I sit here?" Helga asks to Arnold and Gerald, a bit nervous.

"Yes." Arnold says simply, welcoming her to the table. Gerald shrugs and does the same.

"Um..." Helgas starts, realising something a bit awkward: she doesn't know her beloved's name. "What's your name?" She asks, dying to know an answer.

"My name's Arnold." Arnold says, smiling. "He's Gerald." He says, pointing to his new best friend. "He's really good at handshakes. I wish I could show you, but it's a secret." He looks at Gerald and laughs.

"Well I'm Helga." Helga says, a newfound confidence hitting her in the face.

"Helga G. Pataki."

"What's the G stand for?" Gerald asks, curious.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out." Helga says a bit defensively.

"Or," she says, thinking of a parallel, "I can tell Arnold. You guys have a secret, we can too."

Nor Arnold or Gerald could argue with that logic.

So, she whispers to Arnold.

"The G stands for _Geraldine._"

Arnold laughs a bit, which scares Helga, but then he says aloud, "I like your middle name."

She laughs a bit as well, her heart racing. This could go somewhere.

\--

It's the latter half of the school day. The regimen for the preschoolers is fingerpainting. Currently, Helga is just walking and observing the class.

Then, her gaze falls upon Arnold.

She looks around a bit and then hides behind a conveniently placed trash can. She grabs a makeshift heart with a picture of Arnold on it and holds it close to her.

"I love you Arnold and one day I'm gonna marry you." She says, smiling with her eyes closed.

She then hears heavy breathing from behind her. Perched upon the trash can wearing thick eyeglasses is a child only known as "Brainy".

She punches Brainy in the face. However, this gets the attention of Arnold.

"Helga?" He asks, walking towards the scene of the crime. "What happened?"

"Uh," she says, looking for an answer, "he scared me. So I... punched him."

Arnold took in the answer and formulated a response.

"That's okay." Arnold says. "Just don't do it again, please." He helps Brainy up and walks away to fingerpaint.

Helga looks at Brainy.

"Okay. Can you stop doing that please?" Helga says, not wanting this to be something of a regular occurence.

"Uhh," he says, out of breath, "yeah." He walks away.

God, that guy is creepy.

Helga then takes up an open canvas next to Arnold and starts fingerpainting, sneaking a glance at Arnold every now and then.

About ten minutes later the preschool shuts down shop for the day. As everyone gathers their belongings, Helga realises she will have to walk home alone.

Across the lobby room, Arnold gives Gerald the handshake and walks to the direction of the Packard his grandfather, Phil Shortman, owns.

On the way there, he spots Helga and walks over to her. Helga is lost in thought as Arnold wraps her in a hug, completely catching her off guard, and says, "Nice to meet you, Helga."

Helga is silent for a bit, smiles, and says "You too, Football Head."

Arnold frowns a bit, grabbing his head a bit, but Helga recovers. "Don't worry, I like your head." She smiles at him, and Arnold smiles back.

They both head out the door, where Grandpa (he'd hate it if he caught me calling him that, but I don't want to call him "Phil") was attentive to the whole ordeal.

He laughs a bit. "Got yourself a little girlfriend there, Shortman?"

They both blush as Arnold denies the charge.

"Do you need a ride home, Arnold's girlfriend?" He asks, continuing to pull Arnold's leg.

Helga nods, a bit flustered. She hops in the back seat as Arnold sits himself directly to her left.

There's no going back. The two have created a bond that's going to last for quite a while.

And all it took was a few feet.


End file.
